Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence 2019: Atmospheric celebration - and a worthy winner

It has been awarded since 1999: The Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence. Reason enough for the Foundation Esprix Excellence Suissewhich is responsible for selecting and judging the award winners, to celebrate the 20th anniversary in a dignified manner. Both the organizers and the guests were aware that it is not easy to continue seamlessly with the "great" events that took place in the KKL Luzern until a few years ago. The Foundation has experienced too many upheavals and changes in the recent past. At times, one even had to ask oneself the question: Will it ever again be possible to present an Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence?

"Party Hard" and "Sibesieche"

The answer was given on 21 June 2019. The Esprix Excellence Suisse Foundation succeeded in sending a strong sign of life. At the Bürgenstock, guests were not only offered an interesting supporting programme, but there was also a deserving winner of the Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence 2019. The Campus Sursee edged ahead of Tamedia Publishing Services Printing & Logistics (winner in the category "Actively managing change") and the die rodtegg foundation (finalist). Regardless of their ranking, all three nominees were delighted to receive their awards from ski racer Marc Gisin. Luitgardis Sonderegger-Müller from the foundation the rodtegg saw winning the diploma as a well-deserved reward for her institution's continuously demanding work with disabled people. After accepting the award, Andreas Schaffner, Head of Publishing Services at Tamedia, announced the motto for the rest of the evening: "Party hard". And Daniel Suter, Director of Campus Sursee, dedicated the award with thanks to his employees: "You are 'Sibesieche'".

Changes successfully tackled

Indeed, it is ultimately the employees who make the main contribution to successful continuous improvement processes. Even if the EFQM model is prescribed "from above", implementation must nevertheless take place "from the bottom up". The management bodies of the three nominated companies have succeeded in translating the theme of "Business Excellence" in a way that is appropriate for the various levels. This is the only way that Tamedia AG's Publishing Services Printing & Logistics division can successfully face up to the changes in an industry that is shrinking overall, as jury member Heinz Fischlin acknowledged in his laudatory speech. And Campus Sursee, probably Switzerland's leading training and seminar centre for the construction industry, has also managed to open itself up to new target groups through a turnaround. A new sports arena and the award of the "2000-Watt-Areal" status are beacons of corporate development. This courage to invest in a quasi-anti-cyclical manner was given particular prominence by the jury. The joy of working in such a company, which is optimistic about the future, was evident to the Sursee Campus crew present.

Click here for detailed portraits of the award winners and finalists in the current issue MQ 6/2019. 

Thinking errors, spectacle and punchlines

The presentation of the "Oscar of the Swiss Economy" was framed by interesting, spectacular and also humorous speeches. For example, book author Rolf Dobelli pointed out common mistakes in everyday thinking. His recommendations: Do more "mental accounting" (e.g. only get upset after waiting 10 minutes...) or learn not to overestimate one's own abilities (for example as a driver or as a lover...). The two Frenchmen Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet alias "Soul Flyers" showed with spectacular pictures how they managed to jump from the Jungfrau in wingsuits and after a short flight catapulted themselves into an airplane. This breathtaking stunt was only possible thanks to years of preparation, blind trust in a team, maximum concentration at the decisive moments and also viable risk management. The cabaret finale was provided by comedienne Helga Schneider, who was announced as an expert on "Esprix 5.0". Successful gags about aging in the age of digitalization provided numerous hearty laughs in the audience.

The next 20 years?

The atmospheric gala ended with an anniversary party. It remains to be seen whether there will be another Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence next year. Esprix managing director Priska Wyser, who together with the current president of the foundation board Reinhard Ahlborn and her predecessor Heinz Liedtke looked back on the 20-year past, left it open in any case. That there will be a future was indicated by video clips of former and current award winners and other members of the Foundation Board. Perhaps a representative statement was made by Foundation Board member Florian Wieser: Future challenges can only be mastered through cooperation...